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Fire damages one production line at MOM facility

ASHEBORO — A midnight fire at the MOM facility, formerly known as Malt-o-Meal, caused undisclosed damage but will not affect workers at the plant.

Asheboro Fire Department Assistant Chief Eddie Cockman said the call came in at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday about a fire in progress at MOM at 2525 Bank St. in Asheboro.

Cockman said when firefighters arrived on the scene, workers had already been evacuated from the building. Upon entering the building, crews discovered heavy smoke conditions. Cockman said the sprinkler system had been activated.

On examination, Cockman said the fire was determined to be isolated to one oven. His crews put out the fire and then worked with MOM maintenance staff to remove the smoke from the facility.

Linda Fisher, MOM spokesperson, said company officials are still assessing the damage. She said only one line was damaged. That line is used to manufacture the company’s Berry Colossal Crunch cereal, Fisher said.

Production of the cereal will move temporarily to the MOM plants in Utah and Minnesota, Fisher said. However, no Asheboro workers will be laid off in the meantime. They will be moved to other parts of the local plant, she said.

Cockman said investigators are working with MOM officials to determine the exact cause of the fire and the amount of damage the blaze caused.

Malt-O-Meal came to Asheboro in 2006 to construct a $104 million project for the manufacture of the company’s Frosted Mini Spooners and Frosted Flakes. The company is based in Michigan and was looking in 2006 to expand its East Coast presence. The facility officially opened in September 2009 with 200 employees on-site by 2010.

The company had recently completed a second phase of expansion that added warehouse space and lines for the production of oatmeal products.